Russian President Vladimir Putin, who earlier in the day made headlines by claiming that 40% of those killed in the Holocaust were Soviet Jews, said that war crimes committed by the Nazi regime were one of the “most horrific pages in human history.”
“Remember that they were collaborators for these horrific acts and their cruelty surpassed Nazi cruelty in many European countries," he added. "The Red Army brought us liberation from the Nazis, and we paid a price we never dreamed of paying."